Thursday

The Red Sox never thought Gonzalez would play even an averagedefensive right field. They simply trusted him to make routinedefensive plays and not to do anything that might risk a severeinjury.

In the end, it was about making sure David Ortiz didn't wasteaway on the bench for two weeks, destroying the rhythm at the platehe's been building since spring training.

"When we went into Pittsburgh, my concern for David was goingfrom the day we left to the day we got back and not having him getat-bats," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "That really worriedme because I thought it would set him back."

Said Theo Epstein, "It's more about getting David in there tokeep him going and keep him from getting too rusty than it is aboutdoing everything possible to win one game tonight.

Ortiz has hit .311 with a .391 on-base percentage and .581slugging percentage in just over 300 plate appearances. He's onpace to hit more than 30 home runs for the second straight season,and his .972 OPS more resembles the numbers he posted in the primeof his career than the numbers he posted over the last threeseasons.

In past years, the Red Sox worked around Ortiz in interleagueplay by having him play first base once in a while at NationalLeague parks. But even if Ortiz sat out National League gamesentirely, he had to do so for only three or six days at a time. Notin recent memory have the Red Sox had to play nine straight gamesin National League parks the way they've had to do this season.

Had Ortiz not started a game at first base - displacingGonzalez, perhaps the best hitter in baseball - he'd have donenothing but pinch-hit for almost two weeks. Had Ortiz not pinch-hitthree times in Pittsburgh, he might have gotten a start even soonerthan he did.

"You take a regular player and sit him for 11 straight days,that's not going to do anybody any good," Francona said. "He's tooimportant a hitter to us. It's not like it's a shortstop where hecatches the ball. He's a DH and he needs to hit."

Said Ortiz, "I needed it. This is like my sixth day withoutplaying."

To get Ortiz into the lineup, Gonzalez even offered to sit outon Sunday at Pittsburgh. Francona turned him down.

"He's the best hitter in the game," Francona said.

Gonzalez instead will play in the outfield for the first timesince he played winter-league baseball six years ago. He hasexplicit instructions not to do anything to hurt himself, whichwould be the worst-case for a Red Sox team so dependent on him.

"He's pretty mature about this," Francona said. "He's not goingto be gung-ho and try to be Ichiro and jump over the wall."

Said Gonzalez, "I don't think many people crash into walls anddive after balls unless the opportunity calls for it. I'm justgoing to play the game. There's a lot of people that switchpositions all the time, and nobody makes a big deal out of it. It'sjust for a couple of days so Papi can get in the game."

Dispelling rumors

Both Francona and Epstein shot down a report Wednesday that JohnLackey might need Tommy John surgery to repair elbow ligaments, butboth conceded that Lackey has been pitching at less than 100percent health.

MLB Network's Peter Gammons told WEEI in a radio interview thatLackey - who spent most of May on the disabled list with an elbowinjury - might need to go under the knife by August.

"I don't think we'd ever pitch somebody..." Francona said, hisvoice trailing off but his point was clear. "Guys go through achesand pains. That's the way the game is. If it ever gets to the pointwith anybody where it gets in the way, we'd do something about it.That's kind of logical and common sense.

"We don't usually work six weeks ahead on the surgeries. That'sprobably not the way it works - 'Go get 'em, Lack. You have sixstarts left and then you'll have Tommy John.' "

Lackey received a cortisone shot while he was on the disabledlist in May, but he has a 6.26 ERA in four starts since. His startWednesday night - his first since a rain-soaked disaster last weekat Fenway Park - brought with it plenty of intrigue, and thereports of a more severe injury only added to that.

"John had an elbow (injury)," Epstein said. "We're not hidingthat. He had an elbow injury earlier in this year and he's had ahistory with some elbow issues in the past. The shot alleviatedsome of the symptoms. Now it's our responsibility to monitor himand make sure those symptoms don't come back and make sure he'shealthy enough to go out and pitch and pitch effectively. It'ssomething, as with all of our players, that we monitor on a dailybasis."

Starting-pitching depth has been critical for the Red Sox allseason. Alfredo Aceves, Andrew Miller and Tim Wakefield all startedthe season outside the starting rotation, and all have made keystarts. Daisuke Matsuzaka already has undergone season-endingsurgery, and Clay Buchholz remains on the disabled list with a backstrain.

Any long-term injury to Lackey would test that depthseverely.

Proceeding with caution

Thanks to minor but persistent discomfort in his back, Buchholzis unlikely to return to the Red Sox rotation until after theAll-Star break.

"We're going to go slow with this one and make sure he's 100percent before he gets back on the mound," Red Sox general managerEpstein said. "Things would have to improve pretty quickly here forhim to have a chance to (return before the break)."

Buchholz had a start cut short in Detroit at the end of Maythanks to back stiffness, and he pitched on extra rest in Torontotwo weeks later to give his back a chance to settle down. Butdiscomfort in his back cut short another start after five inningsat Tampa Bay on June 16, and he landed on the 15-day disabledlist.

"He's got a muscle strain, and it's pretty limited in scope,"Epstein said. "He only really feels it at a certain point in hisdelivery. The consensus is that this is something we have to knockout - even if it feels like it's almost all the way gone, not topush it and make sure it's all gone."

bmacpherson@projo.com

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